According to a Reuters article released on Sunday, senior Pakistani Foreign Ministry officials view Afghan President Hamid Karzai as an obstacle to the Afghan peace process. They consider his recent statements “erratic,” explaining that while Karzai claims he is trying to own the peace process, he in fact hinders cooperation and progress. The officials point to Karzai’s recent stance against “back door peace contacts,” his conspiratorial accusations about the U.S. and the Taliban, and demands that Pakistan release its Afghan Taliban prisoners as examples of how his stance is both challenging and conflicted. [5]

On Friday, militants attacked two NATO fuel convoys in separate incidents in Peshawar and Khyber agency. In Peshawar, militants attacked ten shipping containers carrying fuel to Afghanistan, killing one person and wounding three others. In the Khyber agency attack, militants opened fire on a convoy in Wazir Danr area of Jamrud sub-district, injuring the driver and a cleaner. [8]

On Friday in Chanesar Goth, Mehmoodabad, Karachi, Rangers arrested 15 suspects, including a police officer found at one of the hideouts. Police recovered two tortured bodies in Nazimabad No. 2, and Rizvia Society area. They also recovered the bodies of a man and woman who were kidnapped and shot to death near Baloch Masjid in Teenhatti area. [12]

On Friday, Inspector General of the FC in Balochistan Maj. Gen. Obaidullah Khan Khattak said militancy in Balochistan has tangibly reduced because of a combined effort from Parliament and local security forces. He specifically cited recent legislation that helped curb crime, including an evidence law that closed loop holes in arresting and investigating criminals. [13]

On Thursday, the U.S. Congress sent U.S. President Barack Obama a spending bill that cuts funding from the $3 billion Pakistani Counterinsurgency Capability Fund. The fund was meant to provide funding for military equipment such as helicopters and training for Pakistani special operations forces. The State Department says the bill does not indicate that the U.S. will no longer provide military aid, rather that the aid will now come exclusively through the State Department.[18]